Iphone Duo Hinge Holds up After 32,000 Folds
WHO:
MacRumors - Tech journalist and reviewer Joanna Stern tested an iPhone Duo hinge using a custom-built folding machine.
Cult of Mac - Stern worked with Aron Cohen, a hardware designer and prototyper and founder of Aron Studio, to build the machine, named Hingey.
Cult of Mac - Apple described the hinge as “engineered from more than 100 components to precisely control opening and closing and support the center of the display, delivering a smooth, satisfying feel.”
WHAT:
The Verge - YouTuber Tim Pan performed 11,500 folds of an iPhone Duo; its screen crease became significantly more visible and somewhat more pronounced even after 500 folds.
The Verge - Pan conducted 1,000 of the folds in freezing conditions; he found the hinge held up well.
MacRumors - Stern’s iPhone Duo underwent more than 32,000 folds; Cult of Mac reports the exact total was 32,640.
MacRumors - Stern initially thought the hinge might be getting looser, but concluded she could not feel much change; after testing, it felt “pretty much the same as day one.”
Cult of Mac - A calibrated push-pull gauge found the hinge was “actually a little bit stiffer” after the folds.
MacRumors - Stern did not report whether the test made the screen crease more visible.
Cult of Mac - Stern’s review listed the Duo’s advantages as multiple “poses,” solid battery life, multitasking and being an “ultimate selfie phone”; listed drawbacks included a bad FaceTime camera, no telephoto lens or Face ID, and heat in the hand.
Cult of Mac - The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999. Preorders reportedly sold out almost instantly, and devices were being resold on eBay at markups.
WHERE:
Cult of Mac - Cohen checked the hinge in his lab after the automated folding test.
WHEN:
MacRumors - The automated test ran over four nights.
Cult of Mac - Cult of Mac said the iPhone Duo would arrive in stores “this Friday.”
WHY:
Cult of Mac - Stern tested the hinge to investigate whether repeated folding would make it loose and to address questions about hinge durability and screen creasing.
MacRumors - Apple had not published hinge-test information or a stated lifetime fold count.
HOW:
The Verge - Pan’s test found the crease became more visible despite the phone’s matte display.
MacRumors - Stern’s test unit was in a case; the machine opened the phone flat but did not close it fully on every cycle.
Cult of Mac - Hingey used a servo motor, 3D-printed parts and a controller; its folding angle, speed and dwell time could be adjusted.
MacRumors - Samsung Display said the Galaxy Z Fold7 display passed a 500,000-fold durability test, equivalent to over 10 years at about 100 folds per day or over six years at more than 200 folds per day.
(UPDATED October 22, 2026 20:18 UTC)
Two durability tests are offering different glimpses of how the iPhone Duo’s folding display holds up. Tech reviewer Joanna Stern put her phone through 32,640 folds using Hingey, a custom machine built with hardware designer Aron Cohen. After four nights of testing, Stern said the hinge felt much like it did on day one, while a calibrated gauge found it was slightly stiffer. YouTuber Tim Pan made 11,500 folds and reported the screen crease became more visible, even after 500 folds. He also tested 1,000 folds in freezing conditions, and the hinge held up well. Stern’s test did not establish whether her phone’s crease changed. Apple says the hinge uses more than 100 components, but has not published a lifetime fold count. The Duo starts at $1,999, and preorders reportedly sold out quickly.
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(UPDATED October 22, 2026 13:21 UTC)
Tech journalist Joanna Stern put the iPhone Duo’s hinge through 32,640 folds using a custom-built machine called Hingey, and found little change in how it felt. Built with hardware designer Aron Cohen, the machine used a servo motor and 3D-printed parts to repeatedly open Stern’s phone over four nights. It opened the phone flat, though it did not fully close it on every cycle. Stern initially wondered whether the hinge was loosening, but said it felt “pretty much the same as day one.” A calibrated gauge found it was actually a little stiffer after the test. Cohen checked the hinge in his lab afterward. Apple says the hinge has more than 100 components, but has not published a lifetime fold count. The test did not establish whether folding made the screen crease more visible. The Duo starts at $1,999, and preorders reportedly sold out almost instantly.